


Videre, to see

by Demerite



Category: Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Fluff, Glasses, M/M, Nonsense, Post-Season/Series 02, They're unreasonably soft in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 19:44:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20476502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demerite/pseuds/Demerite
Summary: "Oh hey, look at that." Chris murmurs.“At what?” Ash asks, tilting his head to look in the direction Chris is indicating.“That star.”“What star?”“That one. There. Next to the planetoid.”“Nope.”





	Videre, to see

**Author's Note:**

> In honour of my having to get glasses and having a lot of feelings about it, I made Ash get them too; because there's nothing better for working through your feelings about something changing in your life than inflicting the same scenario on your favourite characters (no seriously, it's almost as good as therapy). 
> 
> Takes place in the as-yet-unnamed AU where, post-season 2, Ash becomes the Enterprise's new security chief. 
> 
> [Videre is Latin for 'to see' because I'm lame].

The problem with being the captain of a Federation Starship and also in a relationship with your chief of security isn't the regulations (they're not actually breaking any of them), it's not the potential complications brought on by one party technically outranking the other (they're adults and they know how to leave it at work), or the potential for gossip among the crew (they're both so used to that by now that anything they overhear is more likely to be amusing than anything else); the real problem, is scheduling. 

They don't really get days off, or even nights off all that often. But sometimes that manage to steal a few hours where no-one needs the captain for something desperately important, or there's some security risk that just _needs _the chief's oversight, and while they usually use that stolen time for sex, sometimes it's nice to just _be _with each other without being on duty, or in the middle of a crisis. 

Tonight, they've snatched a few hours, and Chris has used his command override code to lock everyone else out of Observation Deck Two, and they're sat together on the floor at the foot of the massive window. Well, Chris is sitting, braced with one hand thrust out behind him for balance. Ash is sprawled on his side, with his head resting in Chris' lap, eyes half-closed as Chris winds the fingers of his other hand gently through his hair. It's the most relaxed and unguarded Chris has seen him in what is technically still a public area of the ship, override code or not. 

Chris is watching the view, the stars and planets arrayed around them, seemingly not moving at all, despite the low hum of the engines. They've been in orbit over Hamung V for nearly a week now, negotiations at a standstill, Chris is nearly ready to say to hell with it all and storm home, which is why they're on Deck Two in the first place. Deck Two doesn't face the planet. Here, they can look out into open space, and not have to think about work. 

"Oh hey, look at that." Chris murmurs, his eyes picking up a reddish star next to one of the furthest visible planetoids in the system. He untangles his hand from Ash's hair, smiling slightly at the offended huff Ash lets out, and points to the aforementioned star. “At what?” Ash asks, tilting his head to look in the direction Chris is indicating.

“That star.” Chris points again.

“What star?” Ash sits up, and Chris immediately misses the warmth of him.

“That one. There. Next to the planetoid.”

“Nope.” Ash squints and shakes his head.

“You can’t see that?” Chris asks.

“Guess not.” Ash shrugs, seemingly unbothered by this, and leans his head on Chris' shoulder. 

“Right.” Chris decides. He'd really like to just stay here with Ash, but he's also worried. He climbs to his feet and offers Ash a hand up.

“Where are we-“ Ash starts to ask but seems to think better of it, accepting the hand and letting Chris pull him to his feet.

“Sickbay. I want Phil to check your eyes.” Chris is already headed for the doors.

“Chris-“ Ash starts in on what Chris knows will be a list of reasons that's a terrible idea that all return to Ash's dislike of any and all medical situations. He stops, and Chris turns back to him. 

"Please." He says simply, and Ash sighs. 

"Okay." He finally mutters, and Chris grabs his hand again and drags him through the door before he can think about changing his mind. 

*

"Well, you’re definitely short-sighted,” Phil says, less than half an hour later. He's looking at Ash over the top of a PADD. 

“How?” Is the first question Ash can think of. It makes absolutely no sense. 

“It happens to the best of us.” Phil's tone is light, a little conciliatory as he taps something into the PADD's databank. 

“Most of us weren’t _designed _though.” Ash can't help but point out. His human body was created to be superior, to be in peak form, to have no defects. His memories don't have any indication of this, nor do the medical records of the other Ash Tyler. 

Phil takes that in stride, just shrugs, and continues on as if it's not a major revelation. “Thankfully, it’s fairly easy to correct now. I can perform the surgery today if-“

“Nope.” Ash cuts him off. "No surgery." 

At the same time as Chris, who has kept silent through the entire process, says “No way.” 

Phil looks from one of them to the other, and back again. “Ah. Right.” He says, nodding. "We'll start exploring alternative solutions then." 

*

The first Chris hears of Ash wearing glasses is when they're back on Earth and he wanders into Ash's office at HQ during what is supposed to be his lunch break, and Ash looks up at him from where he's working. The glasses have heavy black frames, and when Chris sees him, he chokes on the joke he'd been going to make about Ash constantly working, and misjudges the doorway, and walks directly into the doorframe instead.

"Fuck." He mutters, rubbing at his forehead.

Ash is at his side in moments, his expression torn between stricken and amused until Chris starts to laugh, and then he joins in.

*

“Why were you wearing glasses?” Chris asks that night, when they're curled up in a bed that is actually big enough for the two of them - damn starship quarters bunks. 

“Because I’m allergic to contact solution,” Ash says it offhandedly, leaning down to press a kiss against Chris' forehead where he'd hit it on the doorframe. 

“Huh. Klingons didn’t think of everything then.” Chris offers up after a moment's thought. 

“Nope.” Ash lifts one shoulder. "It's actually kind of comforting." He adds, without making eye contact.

"How so?" 

"They thought they were infallible when they built me. But I keep having little problems like this." Ash looks down at him, gestures to his own eyes, "And back then, the programming didn't take, I got...stuck between the two halves. Things like that."

"Well, nobody's perfect," Chris says, with a disarming smile.

"Exactly" The expression on Ash's face is one of such pure joy, Chris feels like he's about to be blinded by it. 

*

The bruises come up by the next morning, dark purple and angry looking, and Ash laughs at him for a full minute before teasing him about his reaction to the glasses, which prompts Chris to drag him back to bed, which in turn makes them both late for work, especially since Chris needs to stop by HQ medical first.

“Phil, you got a minute?” He asks, wandering into Phil's office.

“What do you- oof, what happened to _you_?" Phil is already going into worrying doctor mode. 

“...walked into a door,” Chris says, and it sounds like a lie, which is fucking ridiculous, because he did, in fact, walk into a door...frame. Same difference. 

“Okay, I’m sure." Phil's tone indicates he _clearly _doesn't believe a word that Chris is saying. "And what did the door say about your crew that incited you to ‘walk into’ it?” 

“I’m being serious Phil, I wasn’t watching where I was going and I walked into a door,” Chris says, a little frustrated now. Just because he has, in the past, gotten into a bar fight with a group of strangers who had seen fit to demean the Federation, the _Enterprise, _and the crew, should not set a precedent.

“Well, what _were _you watching?" Phil already has a regen out, and he walks Chris backwards until he's sitting on the only chair in the room that isn't occupied with a pile of PADDs and patient files. 

“...Ash.” Chris admits, sheepishly, trying to drop his gaze. Phil whacks him on the back of the head in a wordless 'keep still'. "That's insubordination and assaulting a superior officer, doctor." Chris says. 

"Not is the superior officer is endangering his heath, Sir." Phil shoots back. “Well, I can't say I’m surprised.” He muses, clearly going back to Chris' earlier admission.

“Hilarious, Phil." Chris mutters. 

"Was it because of the glasses?" Phil asks, voice layered with studied innocence.

"What?" Chris splutters a little, "How did you-" 

"Because Una owes me two days of leave if it was." Phil switches off the regen and stashes it back in one of his many pockets, "We saw him in the yesterday and she bet you wouldn't like them."

"Were you two _placing bets _on whether or not I'd like Ash's glasses?"

"Yes, and I won." Phil says smugly.

"Insubordination." Chris mutters, stalking out of Phil's office, his CMO's laughter following him down the hall.

*

"You're down two days of leave." Chris says as he passes Una in a corridor that afternoon.

She doesn't look entirely surprised, but he does hear her mutter "Damnit" as she turns a corner. 

**Author's Note:**

> Look, if Science Officer!Jim gets to have glasses in every AOS!Spirk Roleswap fic ever, Ash can wear glasses in my AU and that's that. 
> 
> Come hang out with me on [Tumblr](https://demerite.tumblr.com/)?


End file.
